Toy horseshoe game.



J. A. EKELUND. TOY HORSESHOE GAME.

APPLICATION FILED AUGA, 1918.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

, Inventor a. 6 A H01 1 Legs,

OFFICE.

JOHN A. EKELUND, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO EKELUND TOY AND NOVELTY COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. EKELUND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Horseshoe Games; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved game apparatus for the playing of the game of quoits or horseshoe, and, to such ends, it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices, hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the game apparatus; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on the line m m on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section, taken on the line w m on Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line as m on Fig. 3.

The numeral 1 indicates the game board, which is preferably of rectangular form, and provided with a raised marginal rim 2. At the center of the board is a peg 3 that is surrounded by concentric circles 4 marked on the face of the board or, preferably, on a paper covering 1" applied to the face of the board.

In each corner of the heard there is a mechanical catapult for throwing the horseshoe, or the like, toward the peg 3. These catapults are preferably made in the imitation of toy men having a swinging armwvith an expanded hand portion, adapted to receive and hold the toy horseshoe, which lat ter is indicated by the numeral 5. The body portion 6 of each toy man is preferably made with a single fixed leg, the foot or base of which is bent horizontally and provided with a slot 7 that is enlarged at one extremity to adapt it for application over the head of an anchored stud 8, secured in the board. When the contracted portion of the slot 7 is forced onto the neck of the stud 8, the body of this toy man will be frictionally held with freedom for adjustments around the axis of the said stud for an important purpose, which will hereinafter appear.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 4, 1913.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Serial No. 782,816.

To the body of each toy man a leg member 9 is pivoted at 10, the said point 10 being at the shoulder of the body 6. The said pivoted leg 9 has a throwing arm 11, connected thereto by a pivot 12 which pivot is under such tight friction that the said arm will not he accidentally moved in respect to the said leg; but, nevertheless, may be adjusted to different positions by extreme force. The forward movement of the combined leg and arm 9-11 is limited by a laterally bent stop flange 13 on the body 6, which, as shown, engages with the upper front portion of the said leg. The arm 11 is provided with a. laterally bent flat end portion 14 having a segmental rear flange 15.

Thehorseshoe 5 is adapted to be placed on the flat portion of the end 14.- and against the rear flange 15. The said laterally bent end portion 14 is much in the form of a shovel, and it is so arranged that in the throwing action it moves edgewise forward and slightly upward, so that the horse shoe, ring, or other form of the quoit will be projected approximately forward toward the peg or target 3, without being caused to turn over. This, as is evident, is an action desired and is such movement as will be given to the quoit when properly thrown by hand.

A coiled impelling spring 16 is attached to a projection of the pivoted leg 9 at its upper end, and, at its lower end, is attached to the horizontally bent foot portion of the fixed leg 6. Preferably, the pivoted leg 9 is provided with an extended heel portion 17 that affords a convenient finger piece, by means of which the combined leg and arm 911 may be thrown rearward against the tension of the spring 16.

The numeral 18 indicates a counting dial, marked on the board or its covering, and the numeral 19 a cooperating pointer, the latter being pivoted to the board 1 and cooperating with the dial 18 to afi'ord a counter for the points of the game. There should be one of these counters for each man.

When a toy horseshoe 5 is placed on the end 14 of the throwing arm 11, as already described, the throwing of the horseshoe to ward the peg 3 is caused by drawing the leg 9 rearward and then suddenly releasing the same, permitting the spring 16 to produce the proper throwing action. The toy throwing man can be given a pivotal ad ustment on the stud 8 required to ro'perly aimthe throw toward the peg and t us leaving something in this respect to the skill of the operator. The chief skill, however, is in giving the proper retraction to the combined arm and leg so as to thereby propel the horseshoe with greater or less force. Obviously, the greatest point in the game would be to ring the pe 3 by causing the horseshoe to drop aroun the same. This, however, is not easily accomplished, but skill is required to place the horseshoes inside of the rings 4; and, of course, the closer, the horseshoe is thrown to the peg, the more points in the game will be counted by the throw.

The throwing men, as is evident, are not only pivotally adjustable, but are easily detached from the anchored studs 8. For holding the several toy men in compact form laid fiat against theboard for the purpose of shipment, I apply a holding bar 20 to one of the rims of the board. Preferably, this ing a peg or target, of a toy throwing man bar 20 is pivotally attached to the said rim at one end and adapted to be anchored at its other end by a screw 21. When all of thef no parts thereof projecting above the rims 2. One of these men is shown as thus applied in Fig. 2.

\Vhat I claim is 1- 1. In a game apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a board havhaving a fixed leg and a pivoted leg, the said fixed leg being anchored to said board, and the said pivoted leg being under tension to move toward said target, and having a hand portion adapted to hold a horseshoe or the like for projection toward said target.

2. In a game apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a board having a peg or target, of a toy throwing man having a fixed leg and a pivoted leg, the said fixed leg being anchored to said board, and

the said pivoted leg.being under tension to move toward said target, having a hand ortion adapted to hold a horseshoe or the ike for projection toward said target, the said hand being capable of pivotal adjustments in respect to the said pivoted leg.

3. In a game apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a board having a peg or target, and a headed stud located at a distance therefrom, of a catapult having a spring pressed throwing member and a relatively fixed body member, the latter havin a horizontally bent base portion formed w th a slot for interlocking engagement with the said headed stud, the said slothaving an enlarged portion adapting it to be applied to and removed from said stud.

4. In a game apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a board having a peg or target, and a headed stud located at a distance therefrom, of a catapult having spring pressed throwing member and a relatively fixed body member, the latter having a horizontally bent base portion formed with a slot for interlocking engagement with the said headed stud, the said slot having an enlarged portion adapting it to be applied to and removed from said stud, ,and the said catapult being pivotally adjustable on said stud.

5. Ina game apparatus of thekind described, the combination with a boa-rd having a raised rim and a clamping bar pivotally In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. EKELUN D.

Witnesses: I

J. F. CoNRoY, Mrs. S.,JOHNSON. 

